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Weight Loss Linked With Better Response To Gum Disease

A sensational new study was done with the specific enquiry as to whether or not being more fit can cause you to respond better to periodontal diseases.

The study was done by Case Western University School Of Dental Medicine, and the findings are quite interesting.

In the study, 31 obese individuals who have recently had removal of abdominal fat cells coupled with a gastric bypass surgery were compared with a study group of the same caliber, but without any sort of bypass or removal surgeries. The experiment dealt with patients recovering from or just undergoing treatments for periodontal diseases. The patients in the study group had a BMI (body mass index) of 35 on average, with a maximum of 39 BMI. The control group was a bit thinner but still hit the 35 BMI average, well over the clinical obesity line.

Researchers found that the study group responded much better to treatment and had quicker healing times than the control group. This means that perhaps having a reduction in fat cells is somehow linked to the body’s ability to heal itself?

Perhaps it is not so simple. The study shows that individuals who have undergone gastric bypass surgeries have had a massive reduction of glucose and blood sugar levels. Aside from reducing the possibility of diabetes and other insulin based deficiencies, the body is stressed less, and thus can heal after a periodontal surgery better. The inverse, as noted by Nabil Bissada, who holds a chair at the periodontal research facility at Case Western, is most certainly true. A buildup of bacteria under the gum erodes tissue and causes gum disease, tooth loss and a host of other oral damage, but can also tax the immune system to the point where fevers and other sorts of ailments become much more common, and other diseases also can work much more effectively, being less hindered by the body’s natural immune responses.

Right now there are two competing theories which try to make sense of the study. One is that these results are from reduction of cytokene, which is produced by fat cells. The other is one regarding glucose. Only further study will provide a definitive answer.

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